The European Union, International Law and the Promotion and Protection of Democracy

This book provides a study of the role played by international organisations in the advancement of democracy as a principle of international law. While it has become generally accepted that democracy is something international law should promote and protect, less attention has been given to the meaning of the democracy which is being promoted and protected.

In Europe the EU has played an important role in this regard in that it has placed obligations of democracy upon current and future Member States. In this context a study of the EU's attempts to promote and protect democracy is useful for understanding the type, or types, of democracy international law is concerned with. The book uncovers the norms, principles, and practical elements central to the EU's understanding of democracy. The book goes on to ask whether the type of democracy sought in the EU is of universal applicability or is contextually dependant. It also offers insights into the the constitutional future of the EU and in a wider context stands as a case study of the development of the international law of democracy.